Expandable cap rack

ABSTRACT

A cap rack is designed for storing and/or displaying baseball style caps in either a horizontal or vertical orientation on a vertical surface. The cap rack is designed to have a cap support unit comprising a hemispherically-shaped cap support section continuous with a base attachment section. The cap support unit is secured to a single base unit or expandable base unit by insertion of base attachment hooks into base unit apertures. A plurality of cap racks having expandable base units can be interconnected in a vertical and/or horizontal orientation using a 4-way connector, a 90 degree connector, or a linear connector.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Collecting and displaying baseball style caps, i.e., soft-head, hard brim caps, is a popular hobby. Baseball style caps, worn during sporting and leisure activities, display information including names, logos, and other such indicia. The baseball style caps are constructed to comprise a soft-head component having a button at its crown, an adjustable strap along its back, and a hard brim component. Such construction of the baseball style caps allows for a variety of cap rack designs for storage and/or display of the caps. In general, baseball style caps can be placed on the racks using sections of the soft-head component of the cap or using the hard brim component of the cap. With regard to using the hard brim component, U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,073 discloses a cap holder apparatus in which the hard brim is clamped to the rack. To generate or maintain curvature of the hard brim component, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,758,779, 6,311,879 B1, and 6,422,401 B1 disclose cap holders with apertures (U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,779), slots (U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,879 B1), or sleeves (U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,401 B1); the hard brim is rolled and inserted into the aperture, slot, or sleeve. With regard to using the soft-head component of the cap for placement of a baseball style cap on a cap rack, U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,123 discloses a baseball style cap holder wherein the cap is attached to the rack by means of the crown button. U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,144 discloses placement of a baseball style cap on a rack by means of a slot, wherein the soft-head component of the baseball style cap is folded such that the rear portion is reversed and retained within the front portion forming a planar fold line; this planar fold line is received within the slot in the rack. U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,206 discloses a rack comprising a plurality of hooks, wherein placement of the baseball style cap is by means of hanging the adjustable strap of the soft-head component of the cap over a hook. U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,588 discloses an expandable display type rack with cap body supporting pairs of vertical rods and horizontal rods, which are perpendicular to the vertical rods. The cap is displayed by hanging the soft-head component over a rod. U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,909 discloses a rack comprising a base, a cap support having a hemispheric shape to maintain the shape of the soft-head component of the cap and which is sized to securely hold and display the cap, and a base/cap support attachment rod. An additional feature of this rack is the ability to attach the base/cap support attachment rod to the base in either a vertical or horizontal orientation. This feature provides flexibility in mounting the rack on a surface, such as a door or wall, either vertically or horizontally. U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,894 also discloses a cap rack comprising a base and a cap support having a hemispheric shape. Other features of this cap rack include the ability to expand the cap rack horizontally and/or vertically on a horizontal or vertical surface.

The above-mentioned cap racks, and cap racks in general, are designed to have a plurality of cap supports fixed in permanent positions at predetermined intervals along the length of a rack base. In addition, the caps racks are typically designed for attachment to a vertical surface, such as a wall or door, and accommodation of additional caps for storage and/or display is typically limited to linear expansion of cap racks. In the above-mentioned cap racks which do allow for flexibility in positioning of the cap along the length of the rack base, the cap racks require numerous components to provide for this flexibility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the aforementioned limitations, the present invention cap rack is comprised of two components, a cap support unit and a base. The cap rack is designed for attachment to a flat vertical surface, such as a door or wall, in a horizontal and/or vertical orientation. In addition, the cap rack is expandable horizontally and/or vertically, and the cap support units can be removed and repositioned along the length of the base of the rack at a desired position. In a first embodiment, the cap rack of the present invention comprises the following basic components:

-   -   a) a single base unit having a rectangular surface, said         rectangular surface having screw sleeves for securement to a         vertical surface, apertures for receiving the cap support unit,         top and bottom end surfaces, and left and right end surfaces,         and     -   b) a cap support unit comprising a hemispherically-shaped cap         support section continuous with a base attachment unit.

In a second embodiment, the cap rack of the present invention comprises the following basic components:

-   -   a) an expandable base unit having a rectangular surface, said         rectangular surface having screw sleeves for securement to a         vertical surface, apertures for receiving the cap support unit,         top and bottom end surfaces, and     -   b) a cap support unit comprising a hemispherically-shaped cap         support section continuous with a base attachment unit.

It is a first object of the invention to provide a cap rack for storing and displaying a baseball style cap in a manner that retains the hemispherical shape of the soft-head component of the cap. It is a second object of the invention to provide a cap rack in which a plurality of baseball style caps can be stored and displayed at desired positions along the length of the base of the cap rack. It is a third object of the invention to provide a cap rack that can be mounted to a vertical surface in a horizontal and/or vertical orientation. It is a fourth object of the invention to provide a cap rack which can be expanded in vertical and/or horizontal orientations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the cap rack showing the base in a vertical orientation, and two cap support units attached to the base.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cap support unit.

FIGS. 3A-B are perspective views of the front of the single base unit and the front of the expandable base unit, respectively.

FIGS. 4A-B are perspective views of the rear of the single base unit and the rear of the expandable base unit, respectively. FIG. 4A shows the rear view of the single base unit having upper and lower end surfaces and right and left end surfaces. FIG. 4B shows the rear view of the expandable base unit having upper and lower end surfaces only.

FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 4A.

FIGS. 6A-C are perspective views of connectors used in interconnecting cap racks horizontally and/or vertically. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a 4-way connector interconnecting cap racks horizontally and vertically. FIG. 6B is a perspective view of a 90 degree connector for interconnecting cap racks horizontally and vertically. FIG. 6C is a perspective view of a linear connector for interconnecting cap racks either horizontally or vertically.

FIGS. 7A-B show front elevational views of interconnected cap racks. FIG. 7A is a front elevational view of four cap racks interconnected by means of a 4-way connector. Each of the horizontally oriented cap racks has four cap support units secured to the base, and each of the vertically oriented cap racks has five cap support units secured to the base. FIG. 7B is a front elevational view of three cap racks interconnected by means of 90 degree connectors. Each of the three hat racks has five cap support units secured to the base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The cap rack of the present invention is designed to allow a plurality of baseball style caps to be store and/or displayed such that the hemispherical shape of the soft-head component is maintained. In addition, the present invention is designed to provide flexibility in positioning the caps along the length of the cap rack base and flexibility in spatially orienting the cap rack horizontally and/or vertically on a vertical surface. All components of the cap rack can be manufactured using metal, plastic, or wood materials. Most preferably, the components of the cap rack are manufactured using plastic materials.

The cap rack is comprised of a cap support unit and either a single base unit or an expandable base unit. Referring to the drawings for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention and not limiting same, FIG. 1 shows a side view of the cap rack 10 positioned in a vertical orientation with two cap support units 20 attached to the single base unit 40.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the cap support unit 20. Cap support unit 20 comprises cap support section 21 continuous with base attachment section 30. Cap support section 21 is dimensioned to allow the soft-head portion of a baseball style cap to fit over the cap support section, and is comprised of a plurality of substantially hemispherically-shaped ribs 22, wherein the hemispherically-shaped ribs are connected to a lower circumferential rib 23 and an upper circumferential rib 24, and wherein the uppermost ends of hemispherically-shaped ribs 22 are connected at the apex 25. The base attachment section 30 is attached to the cap support section by two base attachment ribs 31. The base attachment ribs are attached to the cap support section at the lower and upper circumferential ribs. Two parallel plates 32, continuous with the base attachment ribs, are configured to provide a cap orientation slot 33 for accepting the adjustable strap portion of a cap and are configured to provide space between the base and the cap support section. The cap orientation slot has two functions, the first of which is to properly orient the cap on the cap support unit, and the second of which is to provide tension such that the cap does not tilt or slip from the cap support unit. Support bars 34 are continuous with and are located at the top and bottom edges of the parallel plates and provide structural integrity to the base attachment unit. A stop bar 35 comprising hooks 36 outwardly and upwardly therefrom, is also continuous with the parallel plates. The stop bar provides a means for securing the cap support unit to a single base unit via the hooks and also allows for attachment and placement of the cap support unit flush against the single base unit 40 or the expandable base unit 50.

Illustrations of the single base unit 40 and expandable base unit 50 are shown in FIG. 3. The single base unit, shown in FIG. 3A, is rectangular in shape, the length of which accommodates up to five baseball style caps. The single base unit comprises a rectangular surface 41, an upper edge surface 42, a lower edge surface 43, a right end surface 44 and a left end surface 45. Located along rectangular surface 41 are five attachment sets 46 equidistant along the length of the single base unit. Each attachment set comprises four apertures 47 surrounding a screw sleeve 48. The apertures are dimensioned to allow insertion of the cap support unit hooks and securement of the cap support unit on the single base unit. The screw sleeves 48 are for mounting cap rack 10 on a vertical surface in either a horizontal or vertical orientation.

Similar to the single base unit, the expandable base unit 50, shown in FIG. 3B, is rectangular in shape, the length of which accommodates up to five baseball style caps. The expandable base unit comprises a rectangular surface 51, an upper edge surface 52, and a lower edge surface 53. Located along rectangular surface 51 are five attachment sets 56 equidistant along the length of the single base unit. Each attachment set comprises four apertures 57 surrounding a screw sleeve 58. The apertures are dimensioned to allow insertion of the cap support unit hooks and securement of the cap support unit on the single base unit. The screw sleeves 58 are for mounting cap rack 10 on a vertical surface in either a horizontal or vertical orientation.

FIGS. 4A-B are perspective views of the back of the rectangular surface of the single base unit 40 and expandable base unit 50, respectively. The back of the rectangular surface 41 of single base unit, as shown in FIG. 4A, comprises support gussets 49 which flank screw sleeves 48. The support gussets maintain the structural integrity and limit the flexibility of the single base unit. As shown in FIG. 4B, the back of the rectangular surface 51 of expandable base unit 50 comprises support gussets 59 which flank screw sleeves 58. As with the single base unit, the support gussets maintain the structural integrity and limit the flexibility of the expandable base unit. FIG. 5 provides a more detailed view of the apertures, screw sleeves, and gussets. As illustrated, the screw sleeves are hollow and cylindrical in configuration, allowing for securement of the single base unit or expandable unit to a vertical surface such that the head of a screw is not visible along the front surface of the cap rack.

Because there are no end surfaces on the expandable base unit, a plurality of cap racks having expandable base units can be interconnected horizontally and/or vertically by means of 4-way connectors (FIG. 6A), 90 degree connectors (FIG. 6B), and/or linear connectors (FIG. 6C). The 4-way connector 60, as shown in FIG. 6A, comprises a cap body portion 61 having a front surface 62, a back surface 63, an upper surface 64, a lower surface 65, a right side surface 66, and a left side surface 67. Extending from upper surface 64, lower surface 65, right side surface 66, and left side surface 67 are upper insert projection 68, lower insert projection 69, right side insert projection 70, and left side insert projection 71, respectively. Cap body portion 61 is rectangular in shape, having the same height and width dimensions as expandable base 50, and having a length sufficient to allow placement of baseball style caps on cap support units 20 positioned at the ends of horizontally and vertically interconnected expandable bases 50 as shown in FIG. 7A. Insert projections 68, 69, 70, 71 are rectangular in shape and dimensioned to frictionally insert into the channel formed by rectangular surface 51, upper edge surface 52, and lower edge surface 53 of expandable base 50.

Interconnecting two cap racks 10 at a 90 degree angle from each other is by means of a 90 degree connector. As shown in FIG. 6B, 90 degree connector 80 comprises a cap body portion 81 having a front surface 82, a back surface 83, an upper surface 84, a lower surface 85, a right side surface 86, and a left side surface 87. Insert projection 88 extends from lower surface 85, and insert projection 89 extends from either right side surface 86 or left side surface 87 such that insert projections 88 and 89 are perpendicular to each other. Cap body portion 81 is rectangular in shape, having the same height and width dimensions as expandable base 50, and having a length sufficient to allow placement of baseball style caps on cap support units 20 positioned at the ends of horizontally and vertically interconnected expandable bases 50 as shown in FIG. 7B. Insert projections 88, 89 are rectangular in shape and dimensioned to frictionally insert into the channel formed by rectangular surface 51, upper edge surface 52, and lower edge surface 53 of expandable base 50.

For linear extension of cap racks 10 in either a horizontal or vertical orientation, a linear connector, as shown in FIG. 6C, is utilized. The linear connector 90 comprises a cap body portion 91 having a front surface 92, a back surface 93, an upper surface 94, a lower surface 95, a right side surface 96, and a left side surface 97. Insert projection 98 extends from right side surface 96, and insert projection 99 extends from left side surface 97 such that insert projections 98 and 99 are linear to each other. Cap body portion 91 is rectangular in shape, having the same height and width dimensions as expandable base 50, and having a length sufficient to allow placement of baseball style caps on cap support units 20 positioned at the ends of either horizontally or vertically interconnected expandable bases 50. Insert projections 98 and 99 are rectangular in shape and dimensioned to frictionally insert into the channel formed by rectangular surface 51, upper edge surface 52, and lower edge surface 53 of expandable base 50.

The insert projections of the 4-way connector, 90 degree connector or linear connector can be constructed as solid or hollow projections. Other configurations of the insert projections of the connectors can be utilized for expansion of the cap racks of the instant invention.

As discussed above, the cap rack is designed to accommodate up to five cap support units. To increase the number of baseball style caps stored and/or displayed, the cap racks are interconnected by means of 4-way connectors, linear connectors, or 90 degree connectors. Expansion of the cap rack by means of connectors provides flexibility in the design and configuration of cap racks mounted on vertical surfaces.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it will be understood that the preferred embodiments are provided by way of example only. Variations, changes, and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. An expandable cap rack, said expandable cap rack comprising a plurality of individual cap racks, said individual cap racks each comprising a) an expandable base unit, said expandable base unit having i) a rectangular surface, said rectangular surface comprising five attachment sets equidistant along the length of said rectangular surface, and wherein each attachment set is comprised of four apertures surrounding a screw sleeve, ii) an upper edge surface, and iii) a lower edge surface; b) a cap support unit, said cap support unit having a hemispherically-shaped cap support section and a base attachment section; and c) a means for interconnecting a plurality of said individual cap racks in a vertical and/or horizontal orientation, said means selected from the group consisting of a) a 4-way connector, b) a 90 degree connector, and c) a linear connector.
 2. The expandable cap rack of claim 1 wherein said means for interconnecting a plurality of said individual cap racks in a vertical and horizontal orientation is a 4-way connector.
 3. The expandable cap rack of claim 1 wherein said means for interconnecting a plurality of said individual cap racks in a vertical and horizontal orientation is a 90 degree connector.
 4. The expandable cap rack of claim 1 wherein said means for interconnecting a plurality of said individual cap racks in a vertical or horizontal orientation is a linear connector.
 5. An expandable cap rack, said expandable cap rack comprising a plurality of individual cap racks, said individual cap racks each comprising a) an expandable base unit, said expandable base unit having i) a rectangular surface, said rectangular surface comprising five attachment sets equidistant along the length of said rectangular surface, and wherein each attachment set is comprised of four apertures surrounding a screw sleeve, ii) an upper edge surface, and iii) a lower edge surface; b) a cap support unit, said cap support unit having a hemispherically-shaped cap support section and a base attachment section wherein said base attachment section is continuous with the cap support section, and wherein the base attachment section is comprised of two parallel plates, each parallel plate having a hook extending outward and upward therefrom, and wherein said hook is dimensioned for insertion into the aperture of the expandable base unit; and c) a means for interconnecting a plurality of said individual cap racks in a vertical and/or horizontal orientation, said means selected from the group consisting of a) a 4-way connector, b) a 90 degree connector, and c) a linear connector.
 6. The expandable cap rack of claim 5 wherein said means for interconnecting a plurality of said individual cap racks in a vertical and horizontal orientation is a 4-way connector.
 7. The expandable cap rack of claim 5 wherein said means for interconnecting a plurality of said individual cap racks in a vertical and horizontal orientation is a 90 degree connector.
 8. The expandable cap rack of claim 5 wherein said means for interconnecting a plurality of said individual cap racks in a vertical or horizontal orientation is a linear connector.
 9. A cap rack, said cap rack comprising a) a single base unit, said single base unit having i) a rectangular surface, said rectangular surface comprising five attachment sets equidistant along the length of said rectangular surface, and wherein each attachment set is comprised of four apertures surrounding a screw sleeve, ii) upper and lower edge surfaces, and iii) right and left edge surfaces; and b) a cap support unit, said cap support unit having a hemispherically-shaped cap support section and a base attachment section.
 10. A cap rack, said cap rack comprising a) a single base unit, said single base unit having i) a rectangular surface, said rectangular surface comprising five attachment sets equidistant along the length of said rectangular surface, and wherein each attachment set is comprised of four apertures surrounding a screw sleeve, ii) upper and lower edge surfaces, and iii) right and left edge surfaces; and b) a cap support unit, said cap support unit having a hemispherically-shaped cap support section and a base attachment section, wherein said base attachment section is continuous with the cap support section, and wherein the base attachment section is comprised of two parallel plates, each parallel plate having a hook extending outward and upward therefrom, and wherein said hook is dimensioned for insertion into the aperture of the single base unit. 